Monte Carlo
by elephanthi
Summary: The blonde was a well-known damsel in distress. She went against all odds and left the comfort zone she once knew. After many years of pampering, she finally tastes the bittersweetness of independence. Redo of the classic Monte Carlo. DISCONTINUED/HIATUS –Natsu/Lucy
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Hello readers, I assume you want to read so without further a due, I'll leave you with my first chapter (talk to you guys later)!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any characters._

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><p>Giving one look at the mirror, she wondered how in burning heavens people saw her as perfect. She liked labelling herself as picture <em>imperfect<em>, not perfect. She wasn't a doll, she was a puppet. The honey eyed girl put on her smoky sunglasses and walked out the door. Stealing a glance at the mansion she once lived in, the golden haired young lady promptly waltzes out of the pristine future her father built her.

She wasn't his little princess no more. The Lucy Heartfilia he knew doesn't exist.

Roaming threw the busy streets, she aimlessly tried to avoid anyone –no _anything_ that would recognize her. She pulled her suitcase handle and briskly strides down the street.

At the very corner, she spotted an empty cab and whistled at it. Sliding on the smooth pavement, the car parked itself in front of her. Opening the door and tugging her suitcase, the driver ushered her into the car, fastened his seatbelt and ask for her destination. She opened her mouth but words were stuck in her throat. What was wrong? She did this every morning to go to school, it was a routine, _was. _Inhaling a shaky breath, she shook away the anxiety that wrapped itself around her.

"The airport," she muttered uneasily, wishing she was lost in her thoughts. Nesting her handbag in her lap, the golden eyed teen looked out the window with nervous eyes, _Goodbye home_…

There was a new feeling of fear settling inside of her, not the one of meeting a famous businessman with her father or walking past a homeless person begging her for money on a cold winter night -no _this_ was different, this was fresh. Exciting even! Fidgeting with the hem of her chiffon dress, she unzipped her leather purse and ran her fingers on the golden surface of her keys… _Leo!_

Lucy knew he understood her, but oh she felt guilty! Even if this felt so right, she felt so wrong. All of this was too confusing for her however deep down, she felt an urge of getting away of the fame and glory and think all of this threw -even if she did this way too many times already.

The cab stopped abruptly as the driver stepped out of the car and opened the trunk. She paid the man and rushed inside the building. She made her way toward the counter and bought a ticket on the fasten plane leaving her hometown to her destination, everything was according to plan. The flight would leave in a few hours, leaving her time to think about the chaos rumbling inside her head; that was not planned out!

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><p>Lucy sat down on the first leather seat next to the aisle and crossed her arms; she had around two hours to sort things out. As she thought things through, someone slump down on the seat next to the window on her right. She stole a glance and quickly looked away mildly surprised. <em>Pink… hair?<em>

"I swear I'm never taking the plane EVER again!" the person howled clearly disgusted.

"You sicken me Natsu; the plane isn't even moving!" Someone else said, sitting in between her and the said stranger named Natsu, "Is someone sitting here miss?"

She looked up and saw a strangely handsome young men, he was wearing a navy t-shirt with cargo pants. _An army soldier, maybe?_ "No, I'm alone." She replied absent minded. Nodding his acknowledgement, he turned towards his friend and said something to him, making the pink haired guy stop his wailing. Taking out a small notebook from her bag, she quickly scribbled down a to-do list, all she needed was to sleep a little and get away from herself. Just for now.

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><p>Lucy was never mad, at less never to this extant since waking up in her habits was the soothing smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns with the loving smell of coffee or freshly brewed aromatic tea- after all getting surprised with <em>someone<em> falling on you because _someone else _purposively made him fall _is_ considered as unusual.

She was dreaming of her new life, how Leo helped her adapt to her new environment but then, she felt a kick, she was being pushed, and the next thing she knew, the pink haired freak fell on her. She glared at the once handsome young men sitting next to her darkly and pushed of his _friend_ who was close to barfing all over the place. "May I ask why your friend fell on me?"

The ebony haired guy simply coughs awkwardly and mumbles a few words while shifting on his seat. She wasn't cold on a daily basis like her dad, _au contraire,_ she was a happy-go-lucky kind of person but when she needed to, she was just like him, to her displeasure.

The flight attendant announced the landing in a few minutes. Lucy stayed put on her seat as she felt a light pat on the shoulder and turned around, it was the odd _friends_. "I wanted to apologize for earlier; Natsu here has motion sickness-"

"Does he need some Tylenol, I have some in my bag!" she exclaimed, already starting to rumble in her bag before getting a response.

"It's ok, he doesn't react to any medication," his face was stern.

"Oh sorry for my outburst earlier by the way, I don't usually get wake up by someone falling on me, if you know what I mean." She put on a queasy smile.

"Don't sweat it, Erza can be a lot scarier then you are!" he whispered, almost laughing.

"Who's Erza if you don't mind answering?" He had an odd charisma but it was attracting her, somehow.

"She's like the older sister I never had that always yells at Natsu and me since we fight all the time! She even beats us up sometimes. She's one heck of a chick!" he explained.

"It's not every day you meet someone that states they get beat up by a girl so easily," she smiled weakly, she wished she had siblings so, so badly. She couldn't stand being alone, and facing her father…

"Well, beat up is a general term, beat to the pulp would be more specific, he chuckled, I'm Gray by the way, Gray Fullbuster."

"I'm L-Layla, nice to meet you." she stumbled. _Of course, use your mother's name, idiot!_

Just as she was about to continue her conversation, the flight attendant signalled they had landed and that they could disembark. The blonde bid her new friend goodbye, slipped onto her pale jean jacket and held her purse tightly. She walked out of the plane and into the airport graciously when someone called her name. She caught a glimpse of orange hair and recognizes it instantly. "Loki!"

"My dear Lucy, it's been a while, how you doing sweetheart?" he hugged her tightly. _You and your playboy attitude, Leo!_

"I little bit confused and scared to be honest but I think I could manage with your help," she said happily.

"I made all the preparations, you're gonna stay at my place and gonna work at Fairy Tail, I already told the master about you-"he started.

"I kinda told someone my name was Layla on the plane… "She hung her head low and peeked threw her bangs, Leo was somewhat amused by that.

"I figured as much so I told him you're name was Layla and not Lucy," he winked at her while sneaking his arm around her waist -not that she minded.

"Gosh Loki, I don't know what I would do without you!"She hugged his arm tighter.

"I propose an _old friend_ I would take care of you." He replied melancholically.

"Thank you, really. For everything you did till now and later."

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><p>"Next time, we're driving!" a pink haired teen moaned, he still had a stomach ache from his plane trip.<p>

"Geez fire breath, would you stop complaining, at less we got paid" the ink haired teen glared at his partner.

"I think I'm gonna barf-!" the other whined back.

As they waited in front of the conveyer belt that will carry their luggage, the solder like teen spotted orange. Not just any orange, "Loki orange" to be specific. He knew the womanizer like the back of his hand (they were good friends, nothing more!) and seeing him at the airport made him wonder.

"Hey Natsu, that's Loki right?" he elbowed his comrade.

Natsu's slump down figure completely came back to life as his shoulders straighten themselves and held his head up high. He scrunches up his nose and sniff out the odour of the said Loki. The scent of cologne, crisp clothes and… vanilla came to his nostrils? Something was wrong and he was going to find out what.

He turned around and nodded, "What's he doing here?"

"We'll just have to find out" the determine teen said after taking his duffle bag and strap it on his shoulder.

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><p>"So what's this Fairy Tail business?" the honey eyed girl asked her friend.<p>

"It's complicated to explain I guess, he lowered voice, it's a somewhat legal corporation that revolves around us mages that use our magic for good purpose such as taking out jobs. At some point you can call it a gang."

"Basically, it's like black market." She whispered.

"Technically yes, however there are many associations such as Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and many others which don't make us illegal. The down side is that some actually use the magic for the underworld and that make us look like the bad guys. Most of them are part of the Balam Alliance." He continued, always in a hush tone.

"Do we actually do any paper work in offices like in a CEO?" she asked.

"We may be working inside those giant business skyscrapers, but let's say there's a magic barrier of some sort and the inside is actually a guild-"he continued, lowering his voice further more.

"A what?" she was completely, utterly lost. This monkey business was far more complicated then she thought.

"Kind of like those medieval association of many people protecting their interest. In our case, it's the freedom of using our magic." He concluded.

The picture was slightly distorted in Lucy's mind; she imagined walking inside a pristine CEO building and somehow the door was a portal to another world. She somewhat ended up lost in a medieval village that had gondolas everywhere (Why gondolas? She had no idea.). She was lost, physically and mentally.

"Yo Loki who's the chick?" they heard. Turning their backs in union, the orange haired guy paled a little while the girl was shocked.

"Gray?" both said in union, "How do you know him-?" And repeat.

"So you know Layla?" the said teen replied.

"She's, an old friend and the new comer that Makarov has told everyone." He explained meekly.

"Oh so she's the girl!" another person exclaimed. It was the guy with pink hair.

They continue to walk and talk as they call a cab leading toward the famous guild itself. Lucy, newly christened Layla, would say a few remarks and answer questions, still troubled by the people she's meeting. The said Natsu was once more attack by motion sickness as soon as the car started driving and got knocked out by Gray.

When they arrived at Fairy Tail shining with all its prestigious glory, Lucy walked out of the car fallowed by Loki who gave her hand a tight squeeze. She was nervous and shaking. Loki wasn't any help and she swore she was going to faint of anxiety. She saw a glimpse of pink before Natsu's arm swung itself around her neck and pulled her with him. She gave out a little squeak and glance back at Loki who was sticking behind her as if nothing happened, talking to Gray who somehow lost his shirt..?

"Loosen up Lay! Everyone here at Fairy Tail is friendly, we don't bite." Natsu gave her a lopsided grin and pulled her arm. He laid his hand on her shoulder and walked into the turning door with her.

_I barely came here and I already have a nickname..!_

At the very middle, she saw and pass through an invisible wall. Instantly, the glass skyscraper changed itself to a warm and cozy looking building. Everything was made in wood: tables, benches, even the bar! Still in the wooden style, beer mugs were swing around, people were singing and laughing.

When Natsu's embrace was gone, she lost his warmth that was so soothing and comforting. She turned around to meet his smile, "I told you we don't bite!" She smiled at his foolishness and laugh truthfully.

For the first time, she felt wanted even if she barely knew anyone.

For the first time, she felt at ease without the need of being perfect.

.

.

For the first time, she felt at _home_.

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><p><strong>AN:** May 11th, 2011

_re-_Hi everyone who muster some courage to open this story! I'm somewhat delighted to be back and _writing_! It's been some heck of a while since I actually uploaded anything on my account and the smart acknowledgement that I did gave me butterflies!

I was thinking of doing some sort of remake of the whole series with some adjustment to mine. My dad, being a very refine type, wants me to read the classic such as _Les trios mousquetaires, Sans Famille, En famille, Docteur Jivago_ and_ Le compte de Monte Cristo._ (Until now, that's all the books he asked me to read. I read both French and English books.) He bought me the bible-like book and as I read it, I thought of a story plot so what better idea as publishing it on Fanfiction?

I really hope I didn't go OOC too much on the present characters! If you could signal me my grammars or any errors, it would be really appreciated (I'm in process of learning my verb tenses, it's been 5 years and I made no progress, aha haha)! I'm not a quick updater btw, I like having a slow-pace of once each two weeks or so..?

I'm glad to know that you enjoyed my story :) Hope you guys will review and comment on the work!

_**[b e a u t i f u l . s u n s h i n e e h]**__ sign out _;)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Hehe, those two weeks turned out to be two months, sorry (I forgot I had anything posted)!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any characters._

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><p>"I'm HOME!" Natsu sang happily while jumping on a dangerous looking man, "C'mon Gazille, fight me!"<p>

Lucy, sill dazzled by the oh-so-welcoming environment, didn't register anything happening around her. Barely seconds threw the door, she felt a vibe and it wasn't anything ordinary, no! It was Fairy Tail's magic pressure; the feeling of being around by so many different overflowing magic users was exciting –to her. She knew about it of course, but under the shock, she felt weirdly amazed.

"L-Loki?" she crocked out, out of breath, "So this is Fairy Tail?"

"Yea, you like it?" he asked back.

"Like it? I love it!" she gave him a shaky grin.

"Good to know, Layla" he smiled back, "Anyways, there's someone I want you to meet…" he dragged her around several knock down tables, evaded a few mugs, dodged many wooden chairs, walked over some unconscious bodies and finally, made it to the bar. Once at the counter, Leo tried to spot the said _someone_ but couldn't find the person.

"Mira! We're Makarov?" he called out, also trying to find the bartender.

A white haired beauty emerged from the kitchen holding a wooden tray with filled mugs and steaming plates, she walked over to them and placed the tray that weighted a ton –dafter Lucy - and smiled at the womanizer. "He went to the monthly meeting; he should come back soon enough, beer?" She explained while handing his a full mug, "And who might this be?" she asked with shiny eyes.

"It's the girl that I told Makarov about, she'll be working here." He answered, sitting on a bar stool.

"Oh Leyna right?" she gave the younger one a motherly smile, "I'm Mira –short for Mirajane, nice to meet you, want anything to drink?" she asked and went back to work as fast as she came.

"It's Layla, um orange juice?" she gave the bartender a queasy grin.

"Sure of course!" she laughed happily, "I like this girl Loki, your girlfriend perhaps?"

Leo chocked on his drink, looked at Mira, then Lucy, then at his drink, back to Lucy and let out a low chuckle, "Unfortunately no, but the guy that will must have a lot of guts, she's one heck of a monster!"

Clearly embarrassed (and barely introduced), Lucy slapped his shoulder and gave him a mean look, "And why's that?"

"Well let's see, you-!" before Loki could finish, _something_ crashed on Lucy and the girl gave out one of the loudest shriek the womanizer ever heard. The thing and Lucy crashed onto the bar and crack the wooden counter in two. Smoke, dust and wood shards danced around the crash to finally reveal Natsu, already beaten badly, squishing the poor girl, lying on her stomach and squirming uncomfortably.

"Natsu, get off of me!" she said in a dangerous growl.

"Hey Lay, how did you get there?" he scratched his forehead, barely moving his _very_ heavy body.

"Natsu, I said get off!" she whined.

"Hey you never told me what magic you can use!" he lazily prompted his elbow on her back, trying to get up.

Lucy, still under the _dragon's claw_, weakly tangled her fingers upon the loop attached to her belt and gingerly pulled out a golden key. "Virgo-"She huffed, out of breath.

"Yes princess?" the virgin maiden replied instantly.

Natsu, awestruck, had his eyes big like saucers, his jaw hanging to the ground and his senses, completely awake. "You –what? Lay, did you saw that!" He exclaimed brightly, jumping onto his feet, "That person (It's a person right?) just appeared in thin air and called me Princess, you saw that Lay? That's so, so –awesome!"

_Back… slightly crippled, ankles…fine, neck… ouch!_ She looked up, ready to scold the barbarous teen when she saw the most innocent expression she ever saw Natsu wore (of course she only knew him for barely an hour) while trying to understand what kind of specie this creature was. "Mistress, is this my punishment?"

Waking up of her senses, she saw Natsu, burning –or at least trying to- her beloved spirit. "Virgo, how many times do I have to tell you? I won't punish you!" she inquired panicking, "Natsu! Stop that, now! You'll burn my spirit –can you be burned Virgo? My god, stop it NOW!" she squealed.

"Geez asshole, did your brain just melted?" A familiar voice said.

The blonde looked up and saw the nearly naked ice mage ready to assault the dragon slayer. Ice spears, fire fists, dragon roars and ice picks were flying all over the place. "Virgo!" She called back her spirit and shyly made it back to the bar where Loki sat.

"You know you could have called me to help you." The womanizer said, very amused.

"And get scolded later because some hot chick thought we were dating, fat chance!" she collapsed on the cold stool, "Mira, I'm serious about that orange juice!"

"Coming, coming!" the bartender waltz out of the kitchen, "There you go, Celestial Mage, am I right?"

"If only Natsu caught up as easily as you did!" she sipped on her cold drink, "How did you know?"

"I have my sources, the white haired model beamed suspiciously, and they told me that you and Natsu are the latest thing." She winked.

"Me and him?" she slowly registered, smiling, "You have got to be kidding me!" she laughed.

"I think you two look cute together, you should give it a try if you ask me," Mira winked.

"He kinda looks dense, don't you think?" Layla whispered, "Or is this just an act?"

The model let out a soft chuckle, "No, no that's how he is, but you'll like his jolliness after some time. So how do you like it here so far?"

"Considering I've been here for merely an hour, I actually, surprisingly, astonishingly, unexpectedly, strangely, startlingly, unassumingly-"

"Could you please get to the point!" the orange haired teen inquired, mildly irritated by her stalling.

"… I love it!" she beamed happily, giving a lopsided grin at the bartender.

"You've got yourself a silver tong there Mira!" a new bubbly voice commented.

Lucy glanced pass her shoulder and saw a scholar, around her age (heck she was her age), shining and smiling, "Hi!" she greeted timidly.

"Well hello there, my name is Levy, Levy McGarden. You read a lot of Kemu Zaleon, yes?" the blue haired girl caught the Celestial Mage's hand and shook it before any objection, "You're the new girl?"

"I had a hunch that you two would get along just fine!" the orange haired teen commented, hopping off his stool, "Later!"

Layla and Levi, both book amateurs, had a lovely conversation over literature and books until Master Markarov came back and had a little chat with her about her initiation (which gave her some chills, who knew what that could be!) and called Mira over.

"Okay she's in, give her the tattoo!" the jolly old man smile happily.

"A t-tattoo?" Now that was a reason to run away! On the count of three-

"Don't worry Lay, it doesn't hurt at all!" Natsu added reassuringly.

"Easy for you to say! How old were you when you got it?" she asked, panicking.

"Umm, seven? It's a magic stamp, no needles."That made everything a lot easier, as if!

"So Layla, where do you want it; left hip or right boob?" Gray asked teasingly.

The Celestial mage blushed madly, "On the back of my right hand, thank you very much!"

"I thought we were gonna have a little show!" the ice mage smirk widen.

"Then why don't you give one Gray?" she smiled back slyly, everyone laughed to that.

"Well you know, I do it on a daily basis, it gets tiring!"

"Oh poor little boy," she cooed.

After her so-called initiation and many introductions, a very tired Lucy gave a call to Loki to pick her up. A few minutes later, he appeared in front of the building. They walked across many streets until both hopped into a cab and stopped a few minutes later in front of an apartment complex.

"Welcome home, sweetheart!" he patted her shoulder and took her suitcase from the trunk. He pressed the key in the sloth and turned the handle, walked up two flights of stairs, opened another door thanks to another key and walked in graciously. Lucy peered through the doors before walking in timidly; she was never good with new environments.

"Make yourself at home, your room is there," he said, pointing the second door of the hallway, "I'm gonna used the shower first, 'kay?" She nodded meekly before hearing the shower run.

When she was about to run away from home, she prepared a few duffle bags with her belongings and gave them to Loki who traveled through the Celestial realm so he can leave them at his apartment. In the meantime she said she'll find herself a place to stay. Instead she just stayed with him; she'll get paranoid each time she hears a sound if she was on her own!

She spotted a fairly big brown bag in the corner of her room, unzipped it, took out her laptop, went to the living room and logged into her account. Opening the new e-mail account she created for the occasion, she found a few mails about her subscriptions on a few websites. After Loki finished and called her, she was about to log out when an e-mail suddenly popped up in her inbox. She told herself it could wait until later to check it out and grabbed her toilet case and went into the bathroom.

Lucy looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment before stripping from her clothing, she changed _soooo much_ during the last 24 hours, she couldn't believe it! She walked into the shower and opened the hot and cold water faucet. The water was pelting all over her back and a light fog was creating itself before she realized the water got hotter and somehow began sleeping in the shower. After shutting down the water, she stepped out of the shower and changed into her PJ's.

She went back to the living room when she saw Loki give her a stern look. "Lucy, check this."

The blonde bent over to have a better look at the screen and saw the e-mail she didn't opened earlier with only one sentence, no signature and a hidden address.

Her breath was caught in her throat and she was completely lost of words.

"_You can run but you can hide because I found you."_

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><p><strong>AN**: 17 July 2010

You guys like it? And again, I'm sorry! Any comments, suggestions or feedback are really appreciated, so I hope you'll review :)

So far, there's six story alerts, five reviews, three favourite stories, one favourite author and one author alert, THANK YOU SO MUCH (I still can't believe, wow)!

_**[b e a u t i f u l . s u n s h i n e e h]**__ sign out!_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Ohoho! I improved a lot, 3 weeks only? That is definetly a new record for myself! Here's chapter three, bookworms :)

_DIsclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any characters._

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><p>Awestruck, she walked away from her spirit, and pasted around the couch for a while. '<em>Deep breaths, deep breaths, c'mon Lucy, regain your composure!'<em>

Shaking away the nauseous feeling, she plopped down on the couch, right next to her worried Leo. She was stronger than this, she knew it, heck even Natsu would agree and he barely met her! Everyone, every God damn soul, every living molecule, every brainless creature –honestly, she told herself even her liver would nod back! "Give me that!" she snarled annoyingly.

Loki was token back, he knew her for quite a while, she was annoying, demanding, whiny but she was never serious or annoyed for such a little thing (even though the situation isn't that petite). She had a carefree spirit, just like her mom, however when the time comes, she looked like she was cold as stone, but she was panicked inside. Now, she just looked so determinates and fierce and fearless. She changed a whole lot just in a split second. '_New record_!' the lion spirit thought to himself pleasantly.

Giving her the laptop back, she furiously pressed on the reply button as if her life depended on it and right that instant when the new page appeared, all hope she had melted away. It was her father's personal private investigators. She recognized it straight away; they never hide the address once the mail is sent back and the way they write minimalistic sentences was their own signature.

She knew this would happen. She knew it and yet she was afraid. Pride and freedom were her most prized possessions; she was always locked up and home schooled. She hated it. She was emotionally wreck by her mother's death (and she knew it), she was her only _friend_, her only sane family; she knew no aunt or uncle that actually talked to her or even meet her. She wouldn't be surprised if anyone told her she had no blood relative.

She's still young, she wants to taste life as it is, even if she a crazy teen who ran away from home because her parent was harsh. She is her own person, and never will she be that over powered against her will, ever again.

"Stupid old man!" she cursed while trashing her head backwards. "Can't he let me get hurt for a change? I want to know how it's like to be normal. He can let me do that?"

The spirit glanced at her frustrated self before letting out a suppressed sigh, "I know you're gonna hate this but, he only wants you to be alright-"

"And hunt me down like a deer! How does that make me feel safe at all? I don't want to have bodyguards everywhere I go or, or lock me inside to protect my reputation from paparazzi. I want to LIVE!" she cried.

"Then tell that to him! Why are you wasting so much time denying the fact that you're afraid of confronting him because you never did raise your voice? You are sacred that he'll cut any ties with you and that he is the last family you have and both of us know that you still love him, deep down. Just call him and have a nice talk. He won't be the one making decisions for you. If you want something, earn it." He said back harshly.

Now it was her turn of being taken back, Leo doesn't raise his voice at her. He was just there when she needed it and he was her rock, whether she intended or not. He was the caring brother she never had. He would get mad at other and make her mad but he never, said anything so harsh to her.

"Sorry, I said too much." He stood up, turned away and stated pasting.

Lucy sat there, startled. Gripping onto the edge of her laptop, she closed her eyes and took yet again, deep breaths. He was partly right, yes she was in denial, yes she is afraid, yes she still-

"Loki, she called out weakly, could you... Could you help me?"

The womanizer stopped his pasting and looked at his master, was she really asking him that? What kind of devoted spirit did she take him for, Aquarius? Does she think he'll leave her work all this mess by herself? Seriously, he wondered if he was getting enough credit for what he's doing sometimes.

He smiled softly at her worried eyes, "Go to sleep princess, we'll work on this tomorrow."

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><p>Lucy didn't knew if she was dreaming or awake, but everything she just <em>saw<em> was so, so vivid.

In her vision, everything was _fine_.

Nothing was ever _fine_ in her life. How can something go right without going a tansy bit left? She was on good terms with her dad, she was known as Lucy in Fairy Tail, Loki was known as her spirit, and she had no reason to lie. Everything was genuinely in order. Her life is upside down, bent left, bent right, lopsided. Was this her future? She was so content of her life, it seemed unreal!

And yet, she wished it was true.

The blonde mage slowly sat up from her bed and rubbed her tired eyes; it was a dream after all. She was always an early riser, glancing at the digital clock sitting on her night table, she confirmed that thought. It was only a few minutes pass six.

She always liked waking up early on weekend, especially on Sunday, like today. There was always something about that day in the week that was so, refreshing. As if it was the start of something new, it is the first day of a new week after all! "Hi there Reality, what have you got in store for me today?" she murmured contently while gazing at the blue sky, "Anything good?"

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><p>"Loki, I said put me down! I'm fine, now put me down! "The Celestial Mage inquired annoyingly.<p>

Turns out her forecast was pretty crappy.

After doing her morning routine, the blonde and her spirit walked out of the apartment to find one of Loki's so called girlfriend. The girl was furiously jealous of Lucy: she actually staid the night at his flat! The ginger haired gentleman didn't had time to explain that she was his childhood friend and reason the other _mademoiselle_ before this one rashly pushed Lucy down the staircase. Having the minimal battle instincts she possessed, she somehow managed to land safely at the bottom of both staircases, with high heels nonetheless.

However, Leo, being the protective brother as he is, decided that she was badly injured and that she needed assistance. From there on, he carried her to the Guild.

"Seriously, I'm gonna call Aquarius if you don't pull me down this instant!" she warned while punching him lightly. "C'mon I can walk on my own!"

Needless to say, this curious scene made many heads turn.

"Are we having Layla kabobs tonight?"Nearly dropping her, Loki got a bit of a fright. Who would say such a stupid remark-!

"Oh c'mon, is this my initiation? Help me down would you Gray?" the Celestial mage wailed, still fighting her _aggressor_. "You're lucky I'm wearing jeans, I swear I'll call Aquarius when we get to Fairy Tail, Loki!"

Helping the blonde down the ginger's shoulder, Gray hastily asked what was with all the commotion. "One of his stupid girlfriend passed by this morning, saw me, pushed me down the stairs and now I'm unofficially injured." She explained sarcastically.

"Unofficially?" the ice mage raised his eyebrow, "That happens?"

"I'm not injured, he says I am!" she cried while walking through the doors of the magical skyscraper.

On the other side, the newcomer walked towards the bar along side with her two comrades. "So where's that Aquarius?" Loki asked teasingly.

"You're that impatient to see her?" she huffed, collapsing on a stool.

"So who's this famous Aquarius?" the bartender waltzes by with a cup of orange juice, "Here you go Layla, no need to order."

"Oh you'll love her Mira, Loki beamed, she's a little demon herself!" he winked, pointing the blonde's loop attached to her belt.

"Oh she's one of your keys! Could I meet her, pretty please?" Mirajane asked with sparkling eyes.

"Now that you think of it, we've never saw you fighting, Gray added, mind calling her out?"

"Do you all have a death wish?"She gawked; do they know how mean that golden key is?

"C'mon Layla, Aquarius isn't that scary!" Loki winked mischievously.

"Says the guy who got soaked and nearly drowned." She glared back; she was not gonna call her out! Last time she did, it was for an emergency and opened the portal in a drinking cup. The water bearer was completely furious and kept shouting death treats!

"What harm could it do?" Mira smile reassuringly.

Lucy kept protesting about the unforeseen danger that will lie ahead if she summons the spirit and started talking rubbish until she gave up; these Fairies were _very_ persuasive and didn't back up at the sight of danger (something she'll have to work on).

"Don't blame me for clogged ears too," she warned warily. "Open the gate of the water bearer, Aquarius!"

The blonde dipped the end of her key in a barrel full of water filled for the occasion and gave a wrist flick as if she's opening a door. Streaks of light emerge from the tip and instantly, the whole surface shone a warm shine. Moments later, a blue haired mermaid appeared, holding an urn. Without a second glance, the spirit _stomped_ –floated- its way toward her master, took a large gulp of air, "WHAT YOUR PROBLEM, BITCH? I CLEARLY TOLD I WAS ON VACATION WITH _MY BOYFRIEND_! WHAT AM I, YOUR SHOW-AND-TELL PROJECT?" The mermaid roared furiously, beady eyes flaring to kill.

"It's not like I wanted to summon you either, they made me!" she said nonchalantly, she pointed at the group of mages sitting next to her, some turning ghostly white.

"Huh, Loki's with you too?" She snorted amusingly.

They barely heard Natsu joyous entry that a huge tide of water appeared at the spirit command and landed on everyone in the Guild. "That's for calling me in a cup of water last time! Thanks for not doing that, AGAIN and get yourself a boyfriend, would you?" the water bearer called out before closing the gate.

Lucy's head appeared at the surface, gapping for air, "I told you your ears will be clogged!" she growled, tapping on one ear to the other, trying to get out some water, heedless of her soaked clothes.

The celestial mage looked up and saw –or hope she saw correctly- Gray sitting in a water bubble? He opened his eyes and waved at her casually, as if this was usual! "Can you breathe?"

Nod.

"Are you alive?"

Nod.

"Does this happen a lot?"

There was a pause then he nodded somewhat uncertainly.

"You can control water?"

He shook his head violently. _No!_

"So how did you, um form that?" she continue her questioning, pointing and making hand signs designing the large mass of water that he was _trapped_ in.

"Lluvia did." A sharp voice answered for Gray.

Lucy looked up and saw a blue haired girl of her age, standing on the wooden fence of the second floor. The water mage jumped down, sliding down the bubble and landed on the water covered floor. "Are you Lluvia new rival at love or an enemy of Fairy Tail?" she asked back coldly.

'_Rival at love, enemy of the Guild, what is going on?_' the newcomer asked herself, panicking.

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><p><strong>AN**: August 7th, 2011.

I know this is an early update but still, I have excuses: I went to the US (Cape Cod, Mass.) for a week, I have tennis three times each week, traditional Vietnamese drums (I'm Viet if you were wondering.) once each week and I'm doing a Harry Potter marathon*. I'm also reading the _Maximum Ride_ serie in the moment (I finished the first 3 in a day and a half and it's been a month I waited for the 4th one to be available! I have the "Max" and "Fang" book that wasn't taken too, yees!) and I finished reading _Eat Pray, Love _and that book was fantastic! (Sorry I have a mature taste for my age sometimes.)

For those who think I wrote Lluvia's name wrong, I would have to correct you, I take Spanish classes at school and in Spanish, the "j" is a double L (Ll).

*With my sister, I'm reading for the first time the whole HP serie and watching all the films before school starts (I start the 30th). I can't wait to see the last film (I bet most of you already did though, don't reveal anything please!) -I still haven't seen it but I have this 2$ movie theater close to my house so I'll go watch it twice, at least! And guest what? I GOT MYSELF A POTTERMORE ACCOUNT ON THE SECOND DAY! I didn't knew there was an early registration until the end of the first day so I consider myself entering on the first day, whatever.

My message was a tansy bit longer then usual (I think), sorry! I'll be leaving you to finish my 3rd book of HP. I hope you'll comment on my work and give me some feedback too :)  
>This story has 10 story alerts, 11 reviews, 6 favorite stories, 4 favorite authors and 3 author alerts until chapter 2, <strong>THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!<strong> I can't believe I'm this appreciated, I'm still not used to it yet. You guys make me blush at each comment so thanks a million!

**_[ b e a u t i f u l . s u n s h i n e e h ]_**_ sign out!_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Hi..! Guess who's back? Me. Eh, school is a great excuse so pardon me for the late update. (turns out I didn't kept my promise on updating more often, sorry!) I made this story twice it's length so I hope you'll like it!

_Disclaimer_ :_ I do not own Fairy Tail or any characters._

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><p>If anyone could ever define how Lucy felt in that moment, <em>scared<em> would be a huge understatement. She was confused, excited, perplexed, intimidated and relieved all at the same time. Did she have this much emotion swelling inside of her all the time? Definitely.

"I-I'm the new member, she squeaked, it's nice to meet you! My name is Layla." She managed to say while offering a handshake.

Her hand was completely ignored. The said water mage simply looked unfazed and continued glaring at her. "I see," said Lluvia. The intensity of the starring never lowered, it just got worse.

By now, many other water bubbles surfaced; the surprise was all over their faces. Some were encouraging Lucy, while others were bored. Most simply wanted them to fight, which was the next thing that happened; without warning, Lluvia _called_ a grotesque form made of water and simply waved her hand in Layla's general direction. The tide consumed her in mere seconds and the Celestial Mage tried to get out but it was useless: she was out of breath. She wanted to save the air in her lungs but it was soon going to her brain, she HAD to act fast and think of something, faster. She nearly _felt_ the water strangling her neck.

She _swam_ up the bubble but some kind of weird force known as gravity kept her down. Strange isn't it? Usually she floated in water, as petite as she is. Her next tentative was to pierce the bubble from the sides which wasn't much more of a success; within the bubble, there was a wall, and within those walls, there was her, trapped. It was created to suffocate her, practically!

She was going to die, right there because she couldn't defend herself, because she was weak, because she was THE damsel in distress, because -!

_Cling! Cling!_

Hey keys! She completely forgot about them. How dumb! She's been holding her breath for mere minutes and it never crossed her mind that she's a witch! However, it felt like an eternity and she had to move fast before her brain shuts down due to the lack of air. She grasped her belt hoop, nine keys, nine lives?

"Open the gate-!" she gasped, "Taurus!" Water was bubbling down her throat but she stood her ground and waited for her spirit to cut the bubble open. Breathing underwater wasn't her forte, never was ever since she had Aquarius.

A big lean figure with a cow head appeared at the tip of her key: she was saved! The said bubble that contained her was far too small for both her and Taurus: it burst open. Holding onto the upper arm of the bull, she gapped for air and composed herself once more.

'_Stay focus, stay alive.'_

"LU-"

"Shut up Taurus. Keep her occupied while I think of a plan." She commended briskly, steadying her breath.

The spirit didn't need to be said twice, he understood the seriousness of the situation and without mentioning, he almost called out the wrong name. Taking out the large axe wrapped on his back, he took a defensive stance and ran up to the water mage. Lluvia wasn't impressed; she easily commended more creatures to attack, bored.

Lucy was trying not to focus on the battle; she may be able to breathe sweet air again but it may be her last ones too. Her opponent was a water mage; therefore calling Aquarius would be fruitless and useless. Lluvia would just have more water to drown her in plus she called _Death_ itself earlier and she was sane enough not to repeat the action, twice in one day.

Virgo wouldn't be a logical choice: except for procuring her clothing in urgency, what can the Zodiac spirit do? Dig a hole? And even if that was useful, where will the water go? They were in a magical building after all. Horologium was a wimp she thought. Crux doesn't help much in battles; Lyra is COMPLETELY useless in this context; Cancer would be irrelevant.

With Taurus already on the field, her possibilities of summoning another spirit was a low (her previous thoughts were clearly unnecessary). Even a weak spirit like Plue would be at risk! Loki knew the consequences... Loki! Of course, why hasn't she thought of this before? He doesn't use a lot of her magic, he's her strongest spirit, he was perfect.

"Open the gate of the -!"

"Are you CRAZY? You know you can't summon more than one spirit at the time!" she heard someone yell.

Loki, the Guild knew him; she can't risk her cover! But she didn't have time to think of a backup plan, what if she..?

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE LION, LEO!" she shouted in a desperate manner.

She saw the horror in his eyes before he disappeared, she knew he was telling her not to but she _had_ to, it was her only chance. Concentrating all the strength she had into the key, her power was engulfing her with warmth. It was working, it _had_ to. A prickly sensation ran threw her before she felt as if she was dipped into a bath of icy water and needles were covering her body. She felt drained but full of energy, it was weird.

Suddenly, a hot beam lit the edge of her key and blinded her sight. A defined roar was heard before she felt the silk tresses of the mane of the golden lion standing next to her. She held a vice grip upon its fur, heedless if it hurt him. Her head was spinning and she was determined to end this fight, whether she won or lost.

She caught her breath and stood up straight while looked into the eyes of her opponent, she may be weak physically but she had a bulletproof soul. Lluvia had a slight curl in the corner of her mouth ever since the start of the match; she was amused by her struggling. Lucy was ready to give her a run of her money; she wasn't going to give up now after all her achievement.

The water mage was still fighting Taurus, both looked equally matched, she noted. Taurus had his magic axe, cutting any charms or spells while she controlled water. It was only a matter of time before one of them gets tired. It was now or never, she thought; she had to give it her all.

"Leo, go." She whispered calmly.

With grace and balance, the majestic and glowing spirit dashed up to the other mage, took a jump and landed feet's away. The blue haired girl was too preoccupied with the Bull spirit that she only had time to notice the feline when it gave a deep roar and an overwhelming source of light emerged from its muzzle.

The blonde dismissed the first spirit she summoned and let the lion finish the task; with such a light, Taurus would have taken the chance to maim the water alchemist and Lucy wanted nothing to do with injuring her comrades. However, she felt awfully weak and lifting that burden from her shoulders felt great. With the little amount of magic left in her, she might be able to last until the end of the match, just maybe. Or at least she hoped to.

When the light died out, the lion came back to her side and she petted his fur lovingly, she was so tired.

"Lluvia... Lluvia accepts you, as a friend, a comrade and a rival!" the water mage declared weakly but with an honest smile gracing her face.

She was accepted, respected.

Layla heard some faint cheers and applauses. The rich fur she was grasping was no longer at her reach, it disappeared! Her dizziness was getting worse, her ears were pounding in her head, and she was wickedly exhausted. Her eyelids felt so heavy she couldn't open them at all.

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><p>"Lay, can you hear me?"<p>

"Mira, are you sure she isn't dead?"

"Oh for God's sake Loki, if she was dead, she wouldn't be breathing nor would she have a steady pulse!"

"Is it Lluvia's fault that she fainted?"

"No, don't worry! She needed to prove to herself and to all of you guys that she is worthy of being a mage of Fairy Tail."

"But we never thought she was weak!"

"Heck she's equally matched with Lluvia, how can she be weak?"

"Don't you know Natsu? A lot of magicians make fun of Celestial mages because they can't defend themselves; they can summon spirits but they don't know how to fight without them."

All the visitors looked around uneasily after the remark; it was beyond awkward hearing such a statement. They heard a raspy inhale breaking the silence before seeing the blonde's eyebrow twitch. "I'm not weak, she started in a low whisper, and I can fight without my keys."

"Layla!" they sang in relief.

"Don't push yourself sweetie, you're low on energy, you can rest a while before going back home okay?" explained the motherly voice of Mira. "There is an energy drink on the low table next to your bed, I wish I could stay longer but I have to get back to the bar okay, bye!" the bartender said quickly, kissing her forehead.

"Lluvia is so very regretful to have caused you problems! Lluvia didn't want anything bad happening to the Guild or to Gray-sama. Lluvia thinks she's overdone it and Lluvia is sorry and -!" the water mage mumbled with a warm blush creeping her face.

"You guys don't need to excuse yourselves; I did it on my own accord. And otherwise, I finally mastered summoning two spirits at once for a long period of time so don't feel sorry! "She smiled queasily to the odd bunch, they were adorable. "If you guys don't mind, could I have a word with Loki?"

"No! Of course not, take your time." Lluvia answered appeased. She walked through the door, holding Gray's arm with a vice grip while Natsu simply smiled and stalked off, he seemed oddly _too_ calm and quiet.

Sitting up of the bed she was lying on, Lucy played with the hem of the blanket and looked up at Loki; he was calm, as usual. "I'm sorry."She breathed and took a pause to find the correct words. "I just- I couldn't give up! I had everything planned out and I just messed up big time. I couldn't summon anyone else because I would be drained on the spot and well yeah, you know." she stopped abruptly, she wasn't trying to find the words anymore, she was lost within them.

"You can look at it that way or look at it my way; how I see it, you did what you had to do, you explored the possibilities, you chose the best option and finished what you started."

"You aren't mad? I mean I made _Leo_ go back to his original form and you know how complicated that is! And yet, he made no protest. But that isn't a little taboo, is it?" she rambled, her mouth moving like wild fire.

"What you did isn't necessarily what I would have done but all was well in the end, yes?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then there's nothing to say." she glared at him for a moment, trying to find anything in his stony eyes.

Pride.

Silent joy.

More pride.

Relief.

And another huge portion of pride.

He was genuinely mad with happiness that she made it alive and that she's able to summon two spirits at the same time. No regrets, no disappointment, just sheer peace of mind, fabulous.

* * *

><p>"Oh Levy, you should have been there! Layla summoned this mermaid then everyone was in water bubbles courtesy of Lluvia then they fought. Layla had this really weird bull spirit that was as strong as Lluvia and then she summoned this other spirit! It was a glowing lion, you should have seen it. It was beautiful! Then she was accepted but I think calling out two spirits for a Celestial mage is quite the hoedown so then she fainted. "Babbled her fellow teammates of Shadow Gear. "Look there she is now!"<p>

Since her fight with Lluvia that happened merely hours ago, Lucy was quite known in the Guild already. She was no longer tired or drowsy; Mira's so called energy drink was like a lightning bolt! She felt as if she could run a marathon.

Going down the staircase, the blonde could clearly see the happy faces of the Guild, many drinking as usual. Once she walked up to the table of her friends, Layla sat next to Natsu whose excessive heat would help her dry her still damp clothes (which is in fact a very lame excuse). "Hi." She smiled.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Natsu asked, nearly immediately.

She was slightly taken back; she didn't expect to be amazing in someone's eyes. "My um... Well you know... I was... It's complicated to explain." she stammered. How could she say it without blowing her cover, yet again? This was getting a little too personal for comfort she thought.

"We're all ear!" encouraged Levy joyfully, all eyes on her.

"Well -I don't have any mages in my family from what I know so I had to grow up learning by myself. I could say my _dad_ was strongly against it. "She said quickly, avoiding any eye contact if possible.

"What about your mother? "The young scholar asked quietly, "Did she-"

"Do you guys want to know how the keys work?" the Celestial mage asked quickly.

None looked offended at the sudden change of subject, she saw sympathy in their eyes and she knew at that moment that she wasn't the only one with a burden to carry; they all had one, maybe even heavier than hers. She smiled weakly, "First, you have to know that there are two kinds of keys, the silver keys and the golden keys... There are only twelve gold keys in the world, each representing a zodiac sign. They aren't sold in shops however, the silver ones are; they are normal keys. Until now, I have five golden keys and four silver keys." she explained rapidly.

For the rest of the afternoon, she learned about the other abilities of the mages sitting next to her. Gray's magic was beautiful and somewhat graceful, Levy's magic was odd but completely embracing the bookworm's personality, Lluvia's magic was _unforgettable_ for the clear reasons and then there was Natsu. It was way too obvious what kind of magic he could do; he was literally a waking bond fire and she knew this without knowing, surprise. She took a liking to his carefree personality, it reminded her of her mother –of course she will never say that to anyone, Loki included.

She felt so free for the last few days and with these kinds of people surrounding her, not asking about her family, not laying a finger on her past or future, it was nearly impossible not to feel at ease and at home. It's the first time she felt so complete ever since the ungodly and unlucky _sevens_. She felt as if the hole in her heart was filled once more, as if she was and will ever be her own person without her father's constant interruptions.

The best thing of the night, for her, was that any questions regarding her past laid forgotten and not mentioned at all. They all had their portion of pain, regret, sorrow, remorse and loneliness, she knew, they all knew, but they still wore a mask to protect their true selves because she understood that none of them wanted to experience that again. No fights, no scars, no injuries or bruises could compare to the ones they had already faced.

The pain was still there, but they chose to move on, and not look back

Simply because looking back meant giving up the fight, and the fight itself hadn't started yet.

* * *

><p>"Loki about yesterday, what am I going to do?" Lucy asked while walking down the busy streets, all the cabs were full, quite usual for a weekend night.<p>

"You don't need to do anything princess." Loki breathed out quietly.

She raised her eyebrow, "Not even reply or I don't know, change my contact information?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nothing; I think he wants you to be preoccupied with it and escape him. You're already away so why make the chase any harder? If he wanted you back right away, he would have done so already, Gorgeous."

"True, but don't you think it's-"she started.

"Just give it up. If he wants something from you then he should ask. There's nothing hard in that, yes?"

"Yeah you're right; he's just playing with my head." she scowled. She had a bad feeling about this.

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><p><strong>AN**:October 1st, 2011.

So, did you liked it? I took more time developing my ideas and tried very hard to not make it _sound_ rushed and fast forwarded.

Well in Canada, I'm at my second last year of high school and I'm really overwhelmed with projects, exams, orals and a little amount of homework. I'm pretty sure I won't be updating anytime soon. If any are wondering I was thinking of finishing this story with around 15 chapters and at most, finishing it this year before I start my last year of high school.

(It's been so long I haven't wrote anything, I feel so rejuvenated. Haha!)

I would really appreciate some constructive feedback, or simply comment of my work. So if you have the grace of reviewing, please do!

_**sunshine** is shining out!_ (Ohoho, see what I did there? :P)

PS. This story has 14 story alerts, 14 reviews, 11 favorite stories, 4 favorite authors and 3 author alerts 'til chapter 3! (I'm singing it on the "12 Days of Christmas" melody... Gosh, winter's back so soon?)


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